Lancia Ardea (1939 to 1953)

The Lancia Ardea was a small family car produced Italian car manufacturer Lancia between 1939 and 1953. Its unusually short hood reportedly contained the smallest V4 engine ever commercialized in a small family car. Nearly 23,000 of the Ardeas produced were standard bodied saloons. Between 1940 and 1942 approximately 500 Ardeas were manufactured with lengthened bodies and a squared off rear cabin for use in Rome as taxis. After the war more than 8,500 commercial adaptations of the Ardea known as 'furgoncini' (light van versions) and the 'camioncini' (car based light trucks) were also produced. The third series Ardea, produced from 1948, was the first mass-produced car with a 5-speed manual transmission. It was replaced by the Lancia Appia.